The Day That Changed Everything
by kbw510
Summary: Sam felt betrayed by everyone who was supposed to be there for him. If only he knew how they really felt. But what if they never got the chance to tell him? One shot.


**A/N: **_This story is in NO WAY related to my other Fanfics. Idk why, but I just felt like writing something sad tonight. I don't even know if I really want to post this... but, if you don't want to read something tragic, then you've been warned. I'm sorry about this... /_

(This is around the time when Sam first joined Team One, when he was sort of on the outs with the team.)

It had been a tough day. It all started before Sam went to work for the day. His dad had called him early in the morning to talk about Sam rejoining the army, and then chewed him out when Sam refused. Then, Sam was half an hour late because his car wouldn't start, so he had to catch a taxi to work. Well, that set him behind, so he rushed into the locker room, changed his clothes and went to join his team.

As he walked into the workout room, everyone was staring—actually more like glaring—at him.

"How nice of you to finally join us, Braddock." Ed said, sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, Ed, my car—"

"Don't want to hear it, Braddock. This is your second week on the job. Too soon to start slacking."

Greg added, "he put it a little harshly, but he's right. Week two, you're still on probation. No more screw ups, Sam."

"Yes sir," Sam uttered, defeated.

Wordy shot him a sympathetic look, but Sam just looked away. After they finished their workout, as they were heading back to the locker rooms, Wordy caught up with Sam in the hall.

"Sam, I know it's hard right now because you just joined the team. Greg and Ed need to take it easy on you, and I am going to talk to them about it."

"That's just going to make them hate me more. I appreciate what you're trying to do, Wordy, but I'm just not fitting in with you guys. I thought we already would've started to get along."

"Everyone is having a hard time because of how you joined the team. Usually we're part of the selection process, but this time you were just put on the team. We can't help that, but neither can you, and I intend to make sure the rest of the team knows that."

"Thanks, Wordy. You're the first person to treat me like a real friend in a long time."

"Just keep your head up. It'll get better."

"I hope so." Sam finished just as the klaxon alarm sounded and Winnie's voice came over the intercom.

"Team One, hot call. Disgruntled ex-employee stormed his former office with a gun. According to witnesses he's holding about 15 people hostage."

The team geared up and headed to the office building in their SUVs.

Ed called out, "Jules, cover the boss and help negotiate. Wordy and Lou, help Jules cover the boss. Spike, research our subject and find out what made him tick. I'll be Sierra One, Sam, Sierra Two. You'll set up on the building to the east of our office building, I'll set up on the one to the south of our office building."

A series of affirmations came over their headsets. Looking at the map of the area, Sam could see that the building to the west would have a better advantage, but he wasn't going to go against Ed. He just kept his mouth shut and did what he was told.

A few hours later and he was facing Ed's wrath after the call had gone wrong, he had gone against orders, and now 3 people were dead, and 4 others injured.

"What in the world were you thinking?! What made you think you could disobey orders?!"

"The building to the west had a better vantage point. I couldn't see anything from the one to the east."

"Why didn't you speak up and voice your opinion before we were out there?!"

"Like you would've listened to me! It would've been just like it has been for the last two weeks!"

Ed was furious, "maybe it would have, maybe it wouldn't have, but that is not your call to make!"

"Every time I've tried to say something for the past two weeks I've gotten shut down, and nobody has even bothered to help me if I haven't done something right! When Commander Holleran put me on this team he told me that you guys were the best of the best and I would fit right in with you. But no one, except Wordy, has even given me a chance! You all let the way I got on the team cloud your judgement of me! I can't take any more of this. I've been through enough already." Sam finished as he stormed out of the room.

The rest of the team joined Ed in the briefing room after Sam had stormed out. They had all been listening from the hall, and had heard the whole conversation.

Wordy spoke up after everyone had sat in their seats, "you know, Sam is right, guys. We haven't given him a fair chance. He can't help the way he got put on the team. He deserves a fair chance like anyone else who would join the team."

"He screwed up, Wordy! He doesn't belong here!" Ed half-yelled.

"He didn't screw up, Ed! That man had gone into his former place of employment today, planning to get revenge on the people who had wronged him. None of us could help that. Sam was right about the vantage points. The west building was way better for him, but I didn't even look at the map until the drive back here."

"If he hadn't had to move himself and all of his equipment, maybe he would've seen something, or could've had a shot."

"Come on, Ed. You know, as well as I do, that he never would've had a shot. All of us are frustrated that the call turned out the way it did, but you can't blame Sam for it. From the look in the subject's eyes, no one was going to stop him from doing what he went there to do."

Ed reluctantly nodded his head, "I guess you're right. I'm sorry I got so mad, everyone."

Spike spoke up, "we're fine, Ed. But we all owe Sam an apology. All he's tried to be is friendly and helpful towards us and we've only pushed him away." The rest of the team agreed with Spike.

They all stood up and went out to Winnie's desk. "Did you see where Sam went, Winnie?" Greg asked.

"Yeah I think he left. He went down the elevator about 5 minutes ago."

"Thanks, Winnie." Greg said and pulled out his phone. He dialed Sam's number and the phone went straight to voicemail.

"Straight to voicemail. Hopefully he just went to cool off, and he'll be back soon so we can talk to him."

They went to finish debriefing, and had been in the briefing room for 20 minutes when Winnie stuck her head in the room, "Greg, I need you at the front desk please."

Greg got up and walked out to the desk to see a uniformed police officer standing there. The team saw the officer too, so they all stopped what they were doing so they could hear what he was saying.

"Hello, Officer? Can I help you?" Greg asked, as he stuck his hand out to shake hands with the officer.

"Yes, my name is Officer Cooper with the Toronto Police Department. You were listed in a Constable Braddock's phone as an emergency contact."

"Emergency contact? What happened?"

"Constable Braddock was attempting to cross the street at the intersection of River Drive and Timber Street. A drunk driver failed to stop at his red light and hit Mr. Braddock, who was in the cross walk. I'm sorry, sir, but it doesn't look good. He's been transported to St. Simons Hospital."

Greg was stunned silent. He turned back to look at his team and saw all of them standing or sitting around the briefing room with different looks of anxiousness on their faces.

"Thank you for telling us, Officer. We're going to the hospital now." He said and the. Turned to Winnie, "Winnie, call Holleran and let him know that Team One is taking the rest of the day off and that he needs to contact Sam's family."

The team rushed outside and into their SUVs, and sped to the hospital.

A short time later they all flooded into the doors of the hospital and rushed to the nurses desk. Greg spoke to the nurse behind the desk, "Hello, I am Greg Parker, one of my Constables is here, he was hit by a car. His name is Samuel Braddock. Do you have any news about him yet?"

"He's been in surgery for a little while, but I don't know anything other than that. I'll send the doctor to come update you whenever he comes out here."

"Thank you," Greg said as he and the team turned to sit in the waiting room.

The whole team was quiet as they waited for any news on Sam. The first hour passed, and no one had said a word. They were all feeling varying levels of guilt and sadness for their teammate.

He didn't deserve the terrible way they had been treating him, and they all were guilty of it.

Commander Holleran called Greg and told him that Sam's dad was out of the country and he and his wife wouldn't be able to make it. After hearing that, Greg vented his frustrations to the rest of the team.

"Sam's family 'can't make it'. They act like it's a party or some sort of formal event. Their son is in surgery after being hit by a car and they can't make it." He said through clenched teeth.

"Well, at least we're all here for him. Even if we didn't treat him right to start with, at least we can treat him right going forward." Spike said.

If he makes it out of surgery, Greg thought. He was the only one who had seen the police officer's face when he told him that Sam's situation didn't look good, and it was a look of regret and remorse that he had to tell someone some of the worst news they could ever hear.

Almost three hours had passed when a tired looking doctor came into the waiting room. Every member of Team One could tell that he looked defeated, and now they were very anxious about what he was going to say. "Family of Samuel Braddock?"

Greg stood up and explained the situation with Sam's family, and the doctor seemed satisfied with the explanation. He introduced himself,

"I'm Doctor Harold Jameson. Mr. Braddock—"

"Call him Sam, please," Wordy said.

"Of course. Sam was in a terrible accident. We had our entire trauma staff working on him. I don't want to be too blunt, but head trauma, including bleeding and swelling on the brain, broken bones, and injuries to his internal organs were just a few of the problems. He wasn't breathing on scene, and the paramedics had to do CPR to get his heart pumping again. That was successful for the time being, but while he was on the operating table, all of the trauma overtook his body. We tried CPR again, we put in a breathing tube, but all of our attempts failed. We tried everything we could, and I'm so sorry, but Sam has died."

The members of Team One looked at each other as tears filler their eyes, none of them able to speak.

"I can take you all to see him, and I'll put you in contact with someone to make arrangements."

The team nodded their heads and stood up to follow the doctor. Upon entering Sam's room, and seeing Sam lying vulnerable and motionless in the bed, Wordy broke down and started sobbing, which caused Jules and Spike to do the same.

They all took turns apologizing to Sam for the way they had acted. It did little to comfort them or ease their guilt because it was too late.

Now, they would never have the chance to truly apologize.

Sam was gone.

_Again, I'm sorry for this. I don't know why I wanted to write it, but I did, so I figured I would post it. A new chapter of The Proposal should hopefully be out soon!_


End file.
